In love
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: Elphaba's odd behaviour after Lion Cub Day hasn't escaped her friends' notice, and when they analyse her recent actions, they can only come to one conclusion: she's in love. And Galinda wouldn't be Galinda if she didn't go on and play matchmaker. Fiyeraba, AU, Shiz-era. One-shot.


**AN: Yep, inspiration for this one-shot hit while I was listening to the Dutch version of 'She's in love' from the Little Mermaid the musical. Hope you like it. It's Fiyeraba once again - I don't seem to be capable of anything else :3.**

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'Nessa?' asked Galinda, her gaze fixed on the green girl sitting under a tree in the park, some distance away. Galinda, Nessa, and Boq were walking back from class together when they saw Elphaba sitting there, and Galinda remembered that she wanted to talk about her roommate with the others. She stopped walking to make sure that Elphaba didn't see or hear them, and she lowered her voice a little. 'Have you noticed anything strange about Elphie lately?'

Nessa wrinkled her nose. 'Strange, in what respect?' she asked, but Boq immediately piped up. 'Yes! Thank you!' he sighed, almost relieved. 'I thought it was just me.'

'What's wrong with her, then?' asked Nessa, and Boq shrugged. 'I have no idea, but haven't you noticed? She still has a book in front of her, but she doesn't seem to read it – she just stares off in the distance. And the other day when I had to miss part of our Literature class because of a doctor's appointment, when I finally got to class and asked her if I could copy her notes, she looked at me all confused and replied that she hadn't _taken_ any notes. Elphaba _always _takes notes! Always!'

Nessa nodded slowly. 'Now that you mention it… I did notice that she seemed to be a bit distant, but I thought it was because of Doctor Dillamond's removal from Shiz.'

'That's when it started,' said Galinda a bit grumpily. 'After the day he was arrested, she became quiet and moodified, you know, even worse than usual… she said nothing was wrong, but, I mean, I may be blonde, but I'm not _that _stupid. I know her better than that. And then after a week or so, she suddenly became all like… well, like this.' Galinda made a gesture, and Nessa patted her arm understandingly. 'I never thought I would use this word to describe Elphaba,' the youngest Thropp sister said thoughtfully, shaking her head, 'but she seems…' She made a face. '_Dreamy_.'

Boq shuddered. 'Do you think she's sick?'

Nessa shrugged. 'I don't know. She doesn't look sick to me.'

Galinda shook her head. 'I think I even heard her _giggle _the other day,' she said, and an expression of horror flashed across Nessa's pretty face. '_Giggle_? _Elphaba_?!'

Galinda nodded gravely. 'I know. There's something seriously wrong- oh!' Her eyes widened at the same moment Nessa gasped. Boq frowned at them. 'What? What's wrong?'

Nessa and Galinda exchanged a knowing look. 'Sweet Oz,' said Nessa with a giggle. She looked at Galinda again, who stomped her foot. 'I can't believe I didn't see it before!' she exclaimed. 'It's so obvious!'

'What is?' asked Boq naively, and Galinda smacked the back of his head. 'She's in love, stupid!'

'In _love_?' Boq stared at his green childhood friend, who had a book lying open in her lap, but was staring out across the lake with, indeed, a dreamy expression on her face. He frowned incredulously. '_Elphaba_? That's like…' He wrinkled his nose. 'Like saying that Galinda's favourite colour has changed to black,' he finally said.

Galinda squealed indignantly and hit Boq across the head again. 'Don't you dare say such awful things!'

Nessa giggled. 'Sweet Oz, Fabala is in love!' she exclaimed happily, clasping her hands together. 'I never thought I would see the day!'

Galinda chuckled. 'Me neither.' She studied Elphaba, who was playing with her hair – her hair, which she was wearing _down_. 'She has her hair down.'

'And isn't that the new dress you bought her the other day?' asked Nessa, and the blonde nodded. 'It is. She's even making herself _pretty _for the guy.' She squealed again. 'I _really _can't believe I only realised this just now!'

Nessa frowned. 'But who could it be she's in love with?'

Glinda's face fell. 'I hadn't thought about that yet.'

'Well, think about it,' said Boq. 'When did it start? After Doctor Dillamond got arrested, right?'

Both girls nodded. 'But nothing happened besides that,' said Galinda. 'Or at least, nothing we know of that has anything to do with a guy.'

Nessa was frowning. 'When did you say she changed from quiet and moody to giggly and dreamy?'

'About a week after the incident with Doctor Dillamond,' said Galinda, and Nessa suddenly understood. She looked at her blonde friend pointedly. 'What else happened that week?'

Galinda wrinkled her nose. 'My sunshine yellow dotted skirt ripped?'

The corners of Nessa's mouth turned upward, but she stifled her laughter. Boq didn't take that effort and just laughed, earning him yet another whack in the head. 'Don't laugh at me, _Biq_,' Galinda snapped with a scowl. 'It was my favourite skirt! Or, well, one of my six favourites,' she added. She cocked her head. 'But I don't see what that has to do with Elphie.'

Nessa laughed. 'I wasn't talking about you ripping your skirt, Galinda. What else happened that week?'

Boq was frowning. 'Didn't you say Fiyero got all distant and moodified, too, after that day? And that he started _thinking_?'

Galinda shuddered. 'Please don't remind me of that. It was _awful _– it was the most important reason I broke up with – oh!' Her cerulean eyes widened. 'I broke up with him that week!'

Nessa was grinning. 'Exactly.'

Galinda looked like a fish, opening and closing her mouth several times without a sound coming out. '_Elphie _is in love…' she choked out, '…with _Fiyero_?!'

Nessa shrugged. 'Can't blame her. He _is _terribly handsome – and he's one of the few boys in her life that took the effort to get to know her, and that really likes her for her.' She narrowed her eyes. 'Hey, Boq… Didn't you say Fabala made your History class go all crazy over a Lion cub or something?'

'Yeah, she got mad and her magic powers flew off the handle,' he said, grimacing. 'I'm not sure what happened, exactly – I don't remember – but when everything calmed down again, she was gone and so was that Lion cub.' He blinked as realisation dawned. 'Wait a clock-tick… Fiyero was gone, too.'

Nessa squealed. 'Something must have happened to make them fall in love!'

Galinda bristled. 'While he was still dating _me_?!' She sniffed. 'I'm glad I broke up with him. Cheater.'

'Oh, Galinda, you don't know that!' Nessa tried to comfort her friend. 'Elphaba would never do that to you – I'm sure nothing bad has happened, but, well… you can't choose who you fall in love with.'

Galinda sighed. 'I suppose not. And they would be kind of cute together,' she admitted. Nessa smiled.

'Well, what should we do?' asked Boq. 'Should we do anything at all?'

Galinda looked at him as if he had gone crazy. 'We just found out that two of our dearest friends are in love with one another,' she said pointedly. '_Of course _we should do something! We have to get them together!'

Boq sighed. 'They're not children anymore, Galinda – don't you think they can figure it out for themselves?'

'No!' Nessa and Galinda yelled at the same time. Upon seeing Boq's confused face, Galinda elaborated, 'Elphie would never admit to him that she loves him. She's far too shy and insecure for that.'

Boq looked sceptical. 'Elphaba, shy and insecure?'

Galinda nodded. 'She hides it well, but you have no idea.' She chewed her lip. 'We should think of something…'

Suddenly, Nessa silenced her by elbowing her in the side. Galinda opened her mouth to protest, but then Nessa said in an innocent voice, 'Hi, _Fiyero_! Did you notice anything weird about you-know-who?'

Galinda turned around and smiled sweetly at her ex-boyfriend as he came up to them. He furrowed his brow. 'What?'

'Elphaba,' Nessa clarified. 'Did you notice anything strange about her?'

Fiyero shook his head, biting his lip. He had noticed that she was avoiding him, yes, but he wasn't going to tell his friends that. They'd ask why, and he didn't want to tell them about the Lion cub. That was something between him and Elphaba.

'She's dizzy and she's dreamy…' Nessa hinted. Galinda giggled. 'Oh, come _on_, Fiyero. Just _look _at her!'

He did, and once again, he noticed how beautiful she looked. The soft smile that involuntarily made its way onto his face didn't escape the girls, and they exchanged an amused look.

'Okay, so perhaps she has been acting strange lately,' Fiyero relented. 'She looks like she's-' Suddenly, his eyes widened in horror. 'Oh, no,' he breathed. 'She's in love.'

'Elphaba and _someone_,' sang Galinda cheerfully. 'Sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!'

Fiyero sank down against a tree trunk, his hands quite literally in his hair. 'I blew it,' he whispered. 'I waited too long and now I blew it. Oz dammit!' he suddenly yelled and he made to slam his hand into the tree, but Galinda stopped him just in time. 'You're so brainless,' she sniffed. 'You should have made your move right away, idiot. Right after I broke up with you.'

Fiyero blinked up at her. 'You mean… you _know_?' he asked, stunned, and Nessa giggled. 'Yes, we know. I'm gonna go talk to Elphaba,' she then said quietly to Galinda, and the blonde grinned. 'Please do. We've got a lot of work here.'

Galinda patted Fiyero on the head. 'You're in love, she's in love… Isn't it awesome?'

Fiyero sighed, his face crestfallen. 'If only she were in love with _me_,' he muttered, and Galinda's devious smile widened. Just then, Boq and Nessa returned with a very confused looking Elphaba. 'Guys, what's this all about?' she protested. Nessa smiled innocently at her sister. 'Fiyero wants to know who you're in love with.'

Elphaba's face went beet red – a rather interesting contrast with her green skin. 'Who told you-'

'No one had to tell us, silly,' Galinda told her, poking her side. 'It was obvious from the way you're behaving. And we also know who the lucky guys is!' she grinned, making Elphaba's eyes widen to the size of saucers. 'But…'

'Fiyero doesn't,' Galinda assured her, and Elphaba swallowed. 'But Glin, you-'

'Are fine with it.' She patted Elphaba's head. 'Good luck, Elphie – I hope it works out!' she sang, before pulling Boq and Nessa with her to give their friends some privacy.

Elphaba fidgeted and shuffled around, clearly feeling uncomfortable. 'So…' she began awkwardly, trailing off.

Fiyero sighed. 'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.'

Elphaba sighed, too, and sat down next to Fiyero, looking at him. 'No… I think it might be the right time to tell you,' she replied quietly. 'Just… promise me you won't hate me, please?' she begged, her eyes huge and filled with fear and uncertainty, and he reached for her hand, squeezing it. 'I could never hate you,' he told her honestly.

She let out a shaky breath. 'I'm sorry…'

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to keep it together. 'Me, too.' He sighed again. 'I should have told you sooner, how I felt, but there was Galinda, and then it got so awkward with her, and… and to be quite honest, I thought you felt it, too, that day in the clearing, that you might feel the same way about me, but, well, clearly I was wrong. I'm sorry.'

She was staring at him, sure she must have misunderstood. 'What?'

'I'm in love with you,' he blurted out, making her eyes widen even further – he hadn't thought that possible, but he saw it happen. 'I have been ever since the Lion cub.'

Elphaba blinked at him, clearly needing a moment to process the information. 'But…'

'But it doesn't matter anymore now, does it?' he sighed. 'Galinda told me you're in love with someone else. I can't blame you, really – I mean, what would an amazing, brilliant, beautiful girl like yourself see in a stupid brainless prince like me, but-'

He was cut off by her lips pressed to his.

She had never kissed anyone before, and to be quite honest, she wasn't sure what she was doing; she had just acted on impulse. When she pulled away, his eyes were almost as wide as hers had been, and he looked completely dumbstruck. 'You… you, but… I… Galinda… we… I…'

She laughed a bit nervously at his inability to form a normal sentence. 'Did Galinda ever say I was in love with someone _else_?'

He thought about it, and was amazed to find that the answer was… 'No.'

She was blushing furiously now. 'I love you too, you stupid brainless prince.'

A huge, goofy grin broke through on his face, and she giggled softly at the sight – though that giggle was caused more by nerves than by anything else. She couldn't believe she had just actually _kissed _him – and not just kissed him, but told him how she felt. And no matter how unbelievable it was to her, it seemed like he wasn't only _okay _with her kissing him; no, he actually seemed to return her feelings. She hadn't thought that possible in a million years.

'Really?' he asked her breathlessly, and her blush became even deeper. 'Yes.'

His smile became so wide she was afraid it would split his face in two. He cupped her face with both hands and pressed his lips to hers again, softly, briefly, before pulling away and telling her, 'I love you, Miss Thropp.'

She giggled. 'I love you, too, Master Tiggular.'

'_Fifi_!' someone suddenly yelled, her voice ringing all through the park – neither of them had to look around to see who it was. '_Ask her on a date!_'

Elphaba laughed and Fiyero looked mortified. '_Galinda_! How long have you been standing there?' he demanded. The blonde emerged from behind a tree some distance away, giggling madly. Nessa and Boq emerged not much later from between the bushes, both of them grinning as well, and Fiyero buried his face in his hands. 'Oh, Oz.'

Galinda went to stand behind Fiyero and said in a low, manly voice – or, well, as manly a voice as she could manage, pretending to be Fiyero: 'Hey, Elphaba, would you go on a date with me?' Then she moved to stand behind Elphaba and replied in a much higher voice, 'Oh, yes, Fiyero, I'd love to!' She then skipped away again. 'Okay, that's settled then!' she sang. 'Your date is tonight, Fifi, you pick her up at seven, and Elphie, you get back to our dorm quickly because I'm going to Galindafy you! I'm going to get everything ready!' With that, she bounced off.

'So, Elphaba,' said Fiyero in the same voice Galinda had just used for him. 'Would you go on a date with me?'

She laughed and said in a voice that was as close in pitch to Galinda's as she could manage, 'Oh, yes, Fiyero, I'd love to!'

'I'll pick you up at seven, then.' He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her again, to which Elphaba complied happily.

Nessa sighed in contentment, watching the scene. 'Oh, she's in love.'

'They both are,' Boq pointed out, to which Nessa smiled. 'Come on, let's go help Galinda get everything ready for their date.' Boq pushed her in the direction of the girls' dorms, and Nessa looked over her shoulder once, still smiling and starting to sing softly. 'See them blush, see them grin… gotta be love they're in.'

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**Once again - loved it, hated it, want me to go and crawl into a hole and never come out? Let me know :).**


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